Hello from Newton Centre!

Here's the first post from our new homeowner, Gillian Pierce:

Well, this is a project that’s been years in the making.  When Bill and
I bought our 1915 Dutch colonial five years ago, we knew it needed a
lot of work, some of it cosmetic, some more fundamental.  We chose the
house for its wonderful location near the city in a great neighborhood
and school district not far from conservation land and, being “old
house people,” for its underlying charm.  We felt it had good bones,
but it would need quite a bit of repair, updating, and some careful
adding to before it would really work well for our family of four plus
labrador retriever.  The prospect of solving water problems (stained
wallpaper was pretty clear evidence) and fixing the house up was
overwhelming enough that I even cried at the closing. But we decided to
live in the house for a few years to get to know it before making any
big decisions.

Two years ago, a family member put us in touch with architect Paul
Rovinelli to begin to talk about how we could thoughtfully renovate,
working within our fixed budget, to add some functional spaces such as
an office for Bill, a family room, and an updated kitchen, while
leaving most of the existing house untouched.  We are delighted with
the plans Paul came up with and can’t wait to see them realized.

Bill and I still can’t believe our good fortune in having our project
chosen for This Old House!  I think it’s every homeowner’s dream to
have Tom, Norm, Roger, and Richard on site working, and we plan to
enjoy every minute of the experience -- part of our decision to live in
the house during the renovation (the other factor was the high cost of
relocating).  Tom has been arriving with his crew every morning at
seven to do demolition work and some siding repairs and doesn’t seem to
mind our being underfoot during the morning chaos of getting the dog
walked and kids off to school.  Even after some unexpected delays (more
on that later), things are progressing more quickly than we could have
imagined.

We look forward to chronicling our experiences behind the scenes for
blog readers.  Please share your comments and encouragements with us!
Has anyone else out there tried to live in a house during a major
renovation?  We’d love to hear from you.